Warm converter for liquefied gases of low boiling point



June 16, 1936. AN 2,044,670

WARM CONVERTER FOR LIQUEFIED GASES OF LOW BOILING POINT Filed March 20, 1934 2 ,Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR RNEYS June 16, 1936. L1. DANA WARM CONVERTER? FOR LIQUEFIEDVGASES QF Low BOILING POINT Fil ed Marh 20, 1934 2 ,Sheet-Sheei 2 INVENTO'R 5 J. 2km

TIME

kfiuQiSb 3 R wwkkx TTORNEYS Patented June 16, 1936 2 044 610 1 TWARMCONVERTERFQR LIQUEFIEDGASES A. OF LOW BOILING POINT 'Leo I. Dana,, Biiffalo, N.-Y.,assignor, by mesne assignments, to Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation, acorporation of New York Application Mirth 20, 1934, Serial No. 716,447

12 Claims.

This'inVentionreIates to warm converters for liquefiedgases of low boiling point and partic ularly to warm converters which have pressure vessels provided with spaced thin-walled linings that is to be converted into 1 vapor.

or baskets for holding a chargeof liquefied gas The invention has foriits uob'ect,generallyan I improved construction and arrangementofparts whereby warm converters of thecharacter indicated are adapted to receive and vaporize charges of low boiling pointliquefied gases such as liquid oxygen, liquidnitrogen andthe like, andtoconvert the same quickly and economically into vapor While maintaining the filiing losses ata rela-- tively low value. 1 a

More specifically, it is anobject oi theinvention to providewarmconverters having baskets with means for producing overiiowfrom the hasket into the clearance space about \thetbasket in a desired manner, at a desiredtime.

It is anotherobject toprovide manuallymanipulated means in converters of the character inobjects of the invention reference should be'hadv dicated, for causingthe overflow passage of'liquid into the clearance space when desired, whereby vaporization of thecharge offliquefled "gas may be made to take place in advance of normal to any desired extent;

rate-characteristic of vaporization. may be accelerated at will.

Other objects ofthe invention will inpart be" obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the; fea-. tures of construction, combination of elements,

and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplifled in the construction hereinafterset forth and 1 the scope of the application of whichwill be indicated in the claims. 1

Fora fuller understanding of the natureand to the following detailed description "taken. in

connection with the accompanying drawings',in

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through a warm converter constructed in acccrdancewith -the invention; l

ployed for causing an overflowpassage of liquid into the clearance space in the converter shown in Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 3 is another fragmentary sectional view showing a modified form of warm converter constructed in accordance withthe invention; and

Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram.

Referring now to the drawings and walled outer vessel ID, commonly referredto as particularly to Fig. l, the converter shown comprisesa thick l-F l a pressure vesseLwhich has a removable, cover basket 12; this latter is'preferably suspended'in place from its upper end and is arranged to provide communication between the clearancespace II and an inner spaced thin-walled lining or about the basketand that within thebasket in 1 any convenient manner, for example, by means of perforations formed about the tones shown at I3. They cover ii is conveniently provided with, a fillingropening i4 thatis normally closed,

' whichclosureimay be accomplished by means of a removable plug that isnormally in place when inoperationa The warm converter is arranged to receive ,heat conductively fromany suitable heat, supplying means arranged on the exterior, for.

.examplafrom a water bath, as depicted at l5.,

While a water bath islcommonly usedwith this type-of, converterand is shown in Heylandt Patent Reissue 18,47 dated May 17, 1932, it is obvious .that other forms of warming means may be used; such means comprising no. part of the present invention.

In order to obtain a regulated overflow of liquefledgas from the, space within the basket i2 into the clearance space on the exterior thereof,

a manually manipulated means, which is adapted 1 i to be moved so as to contact the liquid in the It is a still further object to provide an improvedpmethod of operating converters otythe character indicated ina manner in which .the

basket and cause this passagefby displacement or otherwise, is provided. Areciprocating liquid will to cause the desired passage of liquid. This reciprocating element or contactor preferably has I1 displacing element I6 is heredepicted onwthe under side of the cover linear the topiof, the a spacewithinthebasket IZ as a suitable form A of means adapted to, be moved downwardly at the form of ametallicpan provided with upstanding sides H, as shown in Fig. 2, this pan having an I interior spider 18 and supporting nipple i3 which is swiveled or otherwisesecur'ed to an actuating stem 20, thatispassed through thecover II to the exterior thereof for manual manipulation. 'ihe cover l-l, preferably has a gland 2 l secured thereinfor the purposeoi making the passage of this stem through the cover a gas-tight one;- thisstem 2d mayalso advanta-l' geously have screw threaded engagement with the phase withdrawal connection is. also -provided for the converter, asshown at 2i.

gland 2| asshown at 22. A manualcmanipulat- 1 1 ing wheel 23 is provided at theouter end. A gas Fig. 21isan enlarged detailed perspective View I of the form of manually manipulated'means em 5o 1 from itsuppermost position down into the liquid in the basket l2, j Since the converter ..is normally ,filledfwith liquid to a height slightly below he openings l3, it is seen that a slight downward movement of the contactor [6 causes the same to contact with the liquid and raise the level to a point such that an overflow passage through the openings l3 into the clearance space takes place, the liquid then coming into contact with the warm walls of the vessel I0, where it becomes a rapidly boiling mass. Rapid conversion of liquid in basket I2 into gas follows, by reason of the forced passage of liquid into the clearance space.

By referring to Fig. 4, the degree of acceleration achieved by this forced passage can be readily seen. Here a time-pressure curve is shown at a. depicting the characteristic manner in which pressure normally builds in the converter without the use of the liquid contacting means here provided. 'It is seen that the pressure initially rises slowly, then it rises at an increasing rate, which after a time becomes almost vertical and tapers ofi at the top with a portion of the curve that asymptotically approaches the horizontal. The steep portion of the curve represents the rate at which pressure builds when overflow through the openings i3 normally takes place, due to expansion of the liquid which is being converted in the basket. When the contactor is movedto cause overflow passage of liquid into the clearance space in advance of normal, the

rate of pressure building is accelerated in the characteristic manner indicated in the curve depicted at b. Here it is seen that the time of the relatively slow initial building is much shortened and the rapid rise due to theoverfiow passageof liquid into the clearance space, takes place at an earlier time, the curve finally having an upper portion bending over, which asymptotically ap-- proaches the horizontal. 'While curve b is here depicted as midway between theinitial time and the time at which the rapid building of pressure takes place in curve a, this position is, of course, variable and changes with each change of relative position and instant of time when the contactor I6 is moved with respect to the liquid. In consequence, it will be seen that the adjustable contactor provides means for'accelerating the building of pressure within the converter in substantially any desired amount.

In the modified form of converter'shown in Fig. 3, an outer thick-walled pressure vessel 30 is shown having a. cover 3| and an inner spaced thin-walled vessel or basket 32. This basket is also supported and arranged in a manner which provides communication between the clearance space and the space within the basket; communication being preferably providedby means of suitable openings, which may be inthe form of vertical sleeve passages 33, that perform an additional function, as hereinafter pointed out.

The basket 32 here provided differs from the basket'shown in Fig. 1 in that a relatively large opening 34 is formed in the basket near the bottom thereof and is arranged to have the passage of liquid therethrough controlled by an obturating element 35, which is carried by a dish-shaped 'liquid contacting element 36 that is arranged I to have limited vertical movement in the clearance space below the basket so as to move into and out of a position fitting closely about the basket and cause the obturating element to close and open the opening 34, whereby the overflow passage of liquid into the clearance space may be stopped or made to take place at will. The movement of the contactor 36 is controlled from the exterior of the converter in any convenient manner, for example, by means of a vertically movable spider 31 mounted in the top of the converter on the under side of the cover 3i, the spider having small chains or cables 38 for connecting the extremity of its arms respectively with points of support 39 on the rim of the contactor 36.

To move or reciprocate the spider, a screwthreaded stem 40 is passed through the cover 3| by means of a gland 4i and has swivel connection with the spider at 42, rotation of the spider being prevented in any convenient manner, for example, by means of a stop, as shown at 43, depending from the cover 3|. The cover is also shown as provided with a filling opening 44 that is normally closed, and with a gas phase withdrawal connection 45.

In operation, the characteristic rise of pressure is similar to that shown in Fig. 4. When the obturator 35 is moved to close entirely the opening '34, the basket may be filled with liquid to the desired level without any passage of liquid to the clearance space. When the filling operation is over, the opening at 44 is closed and the pressure building operation begins. The rise of pressure is accelerated in advance of the normal rate of building as indicated by the relative positions of the curves a and b in Fig. 4, by causing the contactor 36 to move so that liquid passes from the basket into the clearance space in contact with the metal. The metal contactor is capable of storing an appreciable amount of heat which it imparts during this passage of liquid. The liquid, in consequence, is in a state of ebullivessel 30. The pressure rise, in consequence,

. thereafter is, rapid. The volume of liquid passed in this manner is, of course, regulated by the position and instant of application of the contactor 36 in the same manner as does the movement of the contactor l6, which also has appreciable heat storage capacity and imparts its heat when it contacts with the liquid.

Since certain changes may be made in the above cdnstruction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that. all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting senses Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is:

1.-In a warm converter for liquefied gases of low boiling point, the combination with a relatively thick-walled pressure vessel, of an interiorly disposed thin-walled basket spaced from the wall of said pressure vessel and forming a narrow unsealed clearance space about the same, said basket having means affording communication between the space within the basket and said clearance space, and liquid contacting means for causing an overflow passage of liquid from the space within the basket to said clearance space.

2. In a Warm converter for liquefied gases of low boiling point, the combination with a relatively thick-walled pressure vessel, of an interiorly disposed thin-walled basket spaced from the wall of said pressure vessel and forming a narrow unsealed clearance space about the same, said basket having means affording communication between the space within the basket and said clearance space, and movable means for cona 2,044,670 tacting the liquid insaid basket and causing an riorly disposed thin basket spaced from the wall of said pressure vessel and forming a narrow unsealed clearance space about the same, said basket having means affording communicationbetween the space within the basket and said clearance space, and means. for storing an appreciable amount of'transmittable heat adapted to cause an overflow passage, of liquid from said basket into said clearance space. Y A

4. In a-warm converter for liquefiedgases of low boiling point, the combination with a relatively thick-walled pressure vessel, of an interiorly, disposedbasket spaced from the wall of said pressure vessel and forming a narrow clearance space about the same, said basket having means adjacent its top affording communication between the space within the basketand said clearance space, and movable metallic means for contacting the liquid in said basket and accelerating the building of pressure in said vessel to a rate in advance of normal. v

,5. In a warm converter for liquified gases of low boilingpoint, the combination with a relatively thick-walled pressure vessel; of a thin-.

walled basket supported at itsupper end within said vessel and spaced ,trom the wall thereofand provided with openings about the upper end whereby communication is established. between the space without said basket and the space within the same, a removable cover for'said pressure vessel whereby the same may be hermetically sealed, and a movable liquid displacing element supported by said cover within said basket and adapted to be forced into contact with the liquid in said basket andcause an overflow of liquid through said openings into the space about said basket.

6. In a warm converter for liquefied gases of low boiling point, the combination with a. rela. tively thick-walled pressure vessel, of a thinwalled basket supported atits upper end within said vessel and spaced from the wall thereof and provided with openings about the upper end whereby communication is established between the space without said basket and the space within the same, a removable cover for said pressure vessel whereby thefsame may be hermetically i sealed, a movable metallic liquid displacing element, means for ,operablyl securing said element within said vessel below thecover, and manually manipulatable means on said securing means for operating, the same from the exterior of said vessel. I

'I. In a warm converter for liquefied gasesof low boilingpoint, thecombination with a relatively thick-walled pressure vessel of athin-walledbasket supported at itsrupper end within said vessel and spacedirom the wall therebi and provided with openings about the upper end whereby communication is established between thespace without said basket and the space within the same, a 'removable cover for said pressure vessel whereby the same may be hermetically sealed, and a reciprocable metallic plunger suspended from said cover within said vessel and provided with manual means manipulated from the exterior of pansion of liquid during vaporization.

displacement irom said basket.

said vesseli'or moving said plunger into contact with the liquid within said vessel at will.

8. In a warm converter for liquefied gases or low boiling point, the combination with a rela- I obturating element for controllingsaid passage,

and extended means for contacting liquid in the course of said passageiu 9. In a warmliconverter for liquefied gases of 15 1 low boiling point, the combination with a relatively thick-walled pressure vessel, of an interiorly disposed thin-walled basket spaced from the wall of said pressure vessel to provide a relav tively narrow unsealed clearance space about the 0 same and provided with an opening near the bottom thereof to afford the passage of liquid from said basket into said clearance space, an obturating element arranged to be moved into and out of said opening, and extended movable metallic means supporting said obturating ele- ,riorly disposed thin-walled basket spaced from the wall of .said pressure vessel to provide a relatively narrow unsealed clearance space about the same andprovided with an opening near the bottom thereof. to afford the passage of liquid from said basket intosaid clearance space, an obturating element arranged: to be moved into andout of said opening, a movable metallic support for said obturating element having an extended surface adapted to fit snugly about the lower'end of said basket, and means operable from the exterior of said vessel for, moving said obturating element and said supporting means. ll. The method of operating a warm converter having a-thick-walled pressure vessel provided with a spaced inner basket having communication between the spaces within and without said basket and adapted to convert liquefied gases of low boiling point into vapor by the application of heat externally, which method comprises filling the converter with liquefied gas to a desired liquid level, and causing at will the passage of liquid from said basket into the clearance space'in advance or that normally taking place by the ex- 65 12. The method oi operatinga warm converter having a qthick-walled pressure vessel and a spaced inner basket provided with openings disposed adjacent a desired liquid level and affording communication between thespaces within and 60 without said basket and means for applying heat externally wherebyliquefied gases of low boiling point may be vaporized in the converter, which method comprises filling the converter with liquefled gas to the desired liquid level, permitting normal passage of liquid from said basket into the clearance space when the liquid expands due to the application of heat, and accelerating said passage at will by causing additional liquid LEO I. DANA. 

